Our new bookish adventures – 1st August

There’s lots happening behind the scenes at Adventures With Words at the moment, and there’ll be more reviews coming soon, but in the meantime, I’d like to share some of our lovely new arrivals with you.  No, not another royal baby but some fantastic reads that Rob and I have bought, received and even won!

Time Riders, The Last BanquetI try to take part in The Readers’ Book Club when I can, and I recently had a really strong recommendation from WDW Kate (@wetdarkandwild) to try the Time Riders series, so Rob kindly bought the first Time Riders book by Alex Scarrow (Penguin) and The Last Banquet by Jonathan Grimwood (Canongate), for The Readers’ Bookclub, for me from Waterstones. Continue reading “Our new bookish adventures – 1st August”

Review: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker

golemChava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic.  When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899.

Ahmad is a djinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.  Though he no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable bond of iron binds him to the physical world.

The Golem and The Djinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends, whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds.  But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice… Continue reading “Review: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker”